


Forgotten

by pumpkinpetals



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Amnesia, Happy Ending, M/M, Malec, Temporary Amnesia, post 2x18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 23:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11724531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkinpetals/pseuds/pumpkinpetals
Summary: After their 'break-up', Alec goes on a reckless mission to try and find Sebastian. However, after getting hit on the head, Alec wakes up and his last memory is of Jace bringing Clary to the Institute for the first time.





	Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> An anon requested this on tumblr so I thought I would share it here as well. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

** One **

_I love you too_. The memory swam through Alec’s head as he crept down the shadowed alley. It was painful to remember Magnus’ parting words, but that was better than feeling nothing at all. Back at the Institute, Max was still in the Infirmary, all because of Sebastian, and Alec knew that Isabelle blamed herself.

Alec blamed himself too.

Whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was Magnus. Magnus standing before him, Magnus laying beside him, Magnus, too close but not close enough all at once. And it killed Alec inside knowing that he was the one who had caused all this pain and suffering. He couldn’t do anything about it until Magnus made his decision. Alec understood that. But the pain and anger was bubbling up, just under the surface of his skin, and he needed to do something.

So, he had taken a sample of Sebastian’s blood from the electrum stone Clary had extracted from Isabelle’s whip and tracked it. He told no one where he was going but he could feel panic in his Parabati rune. Jace had noticed his absence and was looking for him.

This prompted Alec to quicken his pace, edging slowly around corners and keeping his breaths shallow. A metal crashing sound echoed down the alley, reverberating from wall to wall to wall and then the demons were on him. Alec raised his seraph blade and tore it through the air, faster than he had ever been able to, and he felt the familiar acidic burn of ichor dripping down his face and into his clothes.

 _The only thing holding me back…is you_.

Alec pushed away from the wall, kicking and stabbing in every direction until nothing remained. The only evidence being the sticky puddles beneath his feet and the dark streaks up the walls and over dumpsters and garbage.

Alec wiped his face with the back of his arm and bought his seraph blade to his hip. He could feel his parabati rune burning on his side and he knew that Jace would be by his side soon enough.

 _You once asked me what I was afraid of_. Alec hit the wall with his fist. _It was this_.

Before Alec could pull at his hair and scream for Magnus’ voice to go away, he heard footsteps and then everything went black.

 

** Two **

Magnus stormed into the Institute and the overhead lights flickered. Jace was waiting and the two men stood in silence.

“Well?” Magnus said impatiently, “What is it?”

Jace’s complexion, if possible, paled even further and the blonde Shadowhunter beckoned for Magnus to follow.

“It’s Alec.” He said.

Magnus’ chest tightened.

“What happened? Where is he?”

Jace stopped in front of the same room where Max had been treated after his encounter with Sebastian.

“He…ran off. I didn’t realise he’d even gone until my parabati rune started to burn. From what we can tell, he somehow tracked Sebastian and followed him. There was a fight, not one like I’ve ever felt Alec take on before, and then he sort of…faded away.”

Magnus’ breath caught in his throat.

“You mean he’s…”

Jace shook his head.

“God, no. I just meant that I can feel him, but it’s weak. We managed to recover him and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. He was soaked in ichor and he was bleeding heavily. Alec isn’t a hand-to-hand fighter. He’s good with a bow and he keeps his distance but this…it was as if he didn’t care about his safety. All we found on him was a seraph blade and it had been broken in half.”

Without saying any more, Jace opened the door and revealed Alec.

He was laying on his back and Magnus recognised several iratze runes up and down his arms. The only physical damage Magnus could see were thin, pink scars but Alec’s skin was pale and clammy.

“What’s wrong with him?” Magnus’ voice was a whisper.

“He won’t wake up. All his vitals look good but he’s not responding to anything. We were hoping that there was something you could do?”

Magnus stared at Alec. He looked so peaceful. There were no lines on his forehead, no worry around his eyes. His mouth was gentle and his shoulders relaxed.

“Magnus?” Jace asked and the Warlock nodded.

“Of course. I’ll do anything I can.”

 

The room was illuminated only by candles. Magnus stood at the foot of Alec’s bed and lifted his arms. He murmured an incantation and soft yellow magic erupted from his palms, falling down to cover the unconscious Shadowhunter. Magnus continued to speak the healing spell and the magic grew darker in colour, as if it were drawing all the bad stuff from Alec’s body. The magic moved until most of it was surrounding Alec’s head and Magnus forced the words to come, turning the magic a dark, muddy brown. As the spell came to an end, the magic floated away, disappearing into the ceiling and leaving Alec alone.

The candle’s suddenly all extinguished themselves and Alec sat upright, his breathing heavy.

“Alexander!” Magnus said, rushing to the Shadowhunter’s side and resting his hand gently on the younger man’s arm. “How do you feel?”

Alec looked up to Magnus, his eyes void of any emotion, and he pulled his arm away from the Warlock.

“I’m fine.” His words were cold. “Where’s Jace?”

No sooner had Alec said the words did Jace stumble into the room.

“Alec!” He exclaimed. “I can feel you again. Through the rune.”

“What do you mean, again? What happened? Why is this…Warlock here?”

Magnus felt as though he had been doused in icy water.

“Alec…you went off trying to find Sebastian. Don’t you remember?” Jace’s hand went to his seraph blade, as if there were some threat invisible to everyone but him.

“I remember being in the institute. You’d just bought Clary in after she got hurt by that Ravener demon. What’s going on?” Alec pushed away the thin covers and stood up, swaying slightly but knocking Jace’s hand away.

“Alec,” Jace said, glancing towards Magnus, worry clear across his face, “that was months ago.”

Several moments of silence passed. Alec’s mouth opened several times but no words came out. Jace stood close to Alec, making sure that his parabati wasn’t going to fall over. Magnus forced himself to move.

“Well, if I’m not needed anymore, I’ll be going.” Magnus managed to choke the words out before turning away.

“Hey,” Jace said, leaving Alec by the bed, “I’ll walk you out. Alec, stay here till I get back.”

“Honestly, Jace, it’s fine. He needs you now, more than ever, to fill in the gaps. And I have other things that need my attention.”

Jace grabbed Magnus’ arm but the Warlock pulled away.

“Magnus. He’s your boyfriend.” Jace whispered, “The person he needs now is _you_.”

Magnus smiled sadly.

“He’s not my anything anymore.”

 

** Three **

Several hours went by, all of which included some level of confusion, panic or worry. Isabelle, despite protests, made sure that Alec got something to eat and then they both went to visit Max. The youngest Lightwood was still on bedrest, much to his chagrin, but he eagerly recounted his tale of adventure to Alec.

Robert was still at the Institute and was acting as a temporary leader until further arrangements could be made. Maryse had been summoned back to Idris as soon as Max was deemed fit to leave the infirmary and Clary was trying to pinpoint whereabouts Sebastian was heading. They could track him using his blood but, after what had happened to Alec, any unsanctioned missions were forbidden.

“So, you thought you were brother and sister?” Alec asked as Jace sharpened his favourite seraph blade.

“Yeah but the point is that we’re not. It was all some sick mind game that Valentine came up with.”

“I still can’t believe he’s back. I knew it. As soon as I laid eyes on that mundane I knew she was trouble.” Alec ran his fingertips over the points of his arrows as he spoke.

“Alec,” Jace warned, “she’s not a mundane. She’s a Shadowhunter, like us. You were just starting to get along too.”

Alec laughed. “I seriously doubt that.”

“You can doubt it all you want. But, after everything that happened between you two, I know she considers you a friend.”

Alec almost dropped his arrows.

“Everything that happened? That makes it sound like we…”

This time it was Jace’s turn to laugh.

“No. Just…no. You’re better off talking to her about it. I’m sure she’ll start to grow on you again.” Jace placed his seraph blade on a towel next to him and rested one of his ankles on his knee. “But, speaking of…that, there was, is, someone you-”

“Jace! Robert needs you for something.” A blonde girl with an athletic figure, one of the newer transfers from Idris, appeared at the door of the weapon room.

Jace nodded, the soldier in him taking over, and as he left the room he patted Alec on the shoulder. “I’ll tell you later. Just, stay out of trouble for a bit.”

As Jace left, the blonde girl walked further into the room.

“I don’t suppose you remember me?” Her voice was like cotton candy and Alec didn’t feel too bad about shaking his head.

“No. Sorry.”

This prompted her to step closer to Alec and she hesitantly took a seat beside him.

“I’m Stephanie. I came here from Idris just after Clary showed up so everything was a bit hectic. But, we got to know each other quite well.”

Alec stood up, threw his quiver across his back and held his bow against his side.

“Really? How well?”

 

 

** Four **

Across New York, Magnus was sitting in his loft, a bottle of clear liquor in one hand and several sparks of grey magic in the other. After taking a long sip of alcohol that made his eyes water, Magnus threw the magic across the room, destroying yet another vase he had conjured from a tiny boutique down the street.

“Damned Shadowhunter. Coming in with his smile and dimples and those abs…” The rest of Magnus’ words were too slurred to make out and he drained the rest of the bottle before throwing it at the wall.

It was then that Dot swung open the door. She looked like she had just come from a dance in the twenties. A rose-gold dress covered in beads and sequins and gems hung from her shoulders and clung to her hips in just the right way. Magnus would have complimented her if he hadn’t been so wasted.

“Dorothea!” He gasped, standing up far too quickly and falling to his knees. “Have you come to drink with me?” He conjured up another bottle, this time of something brown, and held it out to her.

“Magnus? What are you-”

But Magnus crawled over to his couch and rested his head against it.

“Come on, Dorothea. You drank with me once before. Why not again, now?” Magnus turned his attention to the bottle and, with almost crossed eyes, he managed to unscrew the top, spilling a good portion of it over himself in the process.

“You’re drinking because of Alec? _Again_?” Dot shut the door behind her. “Magnus, I know you love him but I don’t think this is healthy.” Dot sat in the armchair Magnus had just vacated and removed her silk gloves.

She watched as Magnus stared at the bottle and his eyes grew bright with tears.

“You’re right, Dorothea. I do love him.” Magnus sniffed and wiped his face with his shirtsleeve. “But he doesn’t love me!” Magnus threw the bottle onto the floor and it cracked, the brown liquor bleeding out onto the expensive rug.

“I’m sure that’s not true, Magnus.” Dot said, silently dispensing magic to clean up the broken glass. “Did he tell you that himself?”

Magnus rolled his head around and Dot wasn’t sure whether to take it as a yes or a no.

“I told him I needed space to think,” Magnus whispered, hiccupping softly, “and then yesterday he went to try and find…I don’t remember his name. The pretty British one.”

“Sebastian?” Dot asked. Magnus just shrugged.

“Alexander was looking for the big bad baddie who hurt Max and he,” Magnus looked as though he were about to burst into tears, “he forgot everything! He didn’t know who I was. My…my Alexander doesn’t know me anymore.”

It was then that Magnus buried his face between two cushions on the sofa, his shoulders shaking, and the muffled sounds of crying filled the room.

“Oh, Magnus.” Dot sighed, moving to sit beside her friend. “You are an idiot sometimes, you know.”

Magnus didn’t appear to hear her, only raising his head to stroke the material of the couch.

“This is where he slept, the very first night he stopped over. And he…he helped me heal Lucian and he said he _trusted_ me.” Magnus’ smile was watery. “But he didn’t trust me, did he, Dorothea? He lied about the soul sword.” Magnus rolled over so that he was sitting upright and blearily ran his hands over the floor, searching for the bottle.

“Alright, Magnus. That’s enough.” Dot clapped her hands and several things happened simultaneously. All the mess Magnus had caused vanished, the overhead lights turned on, bathing the room in a warm glow, Magnus was lifted from the floor and seated upon the sofa and Dot stood, pulling a blue bag that didn’t match her dress out of thin air.

“Magnus, look at me. Do I have to sober you up first or are you mature enough to pay attention?”

Magnus pouted and crossed his arms but his gaze was steady and aimed at Dot.

“Now, lesson number one, don’t drink when you’re upset. We’ve had many similar discussions to this over the decades and I always end up being right, right?”

Magnus nodded, and his eyes grew softer.

“Lesson two,” Dot continued, “you’re a Warlock. You have Warlock friends. There’s not much we can’t do.” Dot held up her bag. “Do you remember what this is?”

“Your famous blue bag.” Magnus’ voice was slowly becoming less slurred.

“Correct. And tonight, in my famous blue bag, is the answer to all your problems. Do you know why?”

Magnus managed a smile. “Because you’re my sober Warlock friend and care about me too much?”

This made Dot laugh.

“Pretty much.” She dipped her hand into her bag and pulled out a crystal vial filled with purple liquid. “This is a cure for memory loss. I’m giving it to you, as a gift, for allowing me yet again to bear witness to your drunken shenanigans.”

Dot placed the vial on the coffee table and curtsied before taking a seat. Magnus rested his face in the palm of his hand and slumped forwards.

“Thank you, Dorothea.”

Dot raised her eyebrow. “You don’t sound very thankful. What’s wrong?”

Magnus would have made up an excuse had Dot not pursed her lips.

“Maybe it’s better if I don’t use it.”

“Why on Earth would that be better when you’re clearly so upset?”

Magnus shrugged. “Because maybe he’s happy now. Now that he doesn’t have all the ugly memories of us making him feel as though he’s got to go out on a suicide mission. And I did want space – maybe this is a sign from the universe that space is a good thing.”

Dot crossed her legs so that she wouldn’t jump up and wring Magnus’ neck.

“Magnus Bane, you’re a complete idiot. All this bullshit about maybe this and maybe that – maybe you need your head looking at. You both _definitely_ love each other. Yes, he might have made some mistakes and yes, space might be a good idea, but the Magnus Bane I know would give that boy his memories back in a heartbeat.”

“Would he?”

“Of course! You always say that the people you knew who’ve died, they live on because you think about them. How would you feel if someone took your memories of Alec and he decided you were better off without them?”

Magnus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I’m too drunk for this, Dorothea. Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. I need to sleep.”

 

 

** Five **

The new few days passed slowly but, much to his relief, Max was finally allowed out of bed for more than five minutes. He spent his entire first hour of freedom stuffing his face in the kitchen with whatever he could get his hands on. His second hour of freedom was dedicated to drawing a picture of Sebastian, pinning it to a dummy and kicking the living daylights out of it. However, this gave Max a headache so he promptly returned to the kitchen and, after sneaking past Isabelle, he made himself a large mug of hot chocolate.

Because he was ten years old, Max filled his cup too high and spilt sugar all over the work counter. But that didn’t stop him from precariously carrying the cup to the library, only spilling a tiny bit on his slipper, along with a plate of biscuits. Church followed at a safe distance, neatly cleaning up any crumbs of evidence.

Once he was seated in a high-backed armchair, Max balanced his drink on the chair arm, the plate biscuits on the other and a book about sneaking up on your enemies on his lap. He happily dipped the biscuits, one after another, into the warm, chocolaty beverage, and was about to turn the page of the book with a sticky finger when the door to the library clicked open.

Max knew that he wasn’t supposed to bring anything that could ruin the books into the library, so he sunk himself lower into the chair and licked his fingers clean.

“Alec.” A girl said, and Max heard footsteps on the wooden floor.

“Stop following me, okay? I’ve told you a hundred times you’ve got it wrong. I know myself well enough to know that I would never, ever be in a relationship with you.”

Max carefully turned in his seat until he was on his knees and peeking up from behind the chair. Alec was standing mostly with his back to him but the girl, who had pin-straight blonde hair, was pacing around, her forefinger in her mouth and her eyes wide.

“Why? Why do you think that’s so impossible? Do you think you’re too good for me?” The girls voice was getting louder so Alec reached over and closed the door.

“Don’t shout. And I don’t think I’m better than you but…but you’re just not really my type.”

The girl froze, wiping her cheeks with her fingers and smiling brightly.

“You’d never been with anyone before me. You didn’t know what your type was until you met me.” The girls tone changed and she sounded as though she were begging for her life. “Just give me a chance. Your parents, they were so happy that you finally found a girl and I know it would mean the world to them if you just tried.”

Max was confused, to say the least, because the last thing he knew, Alec was dating Magnus, the Warlock with the cool magic who threw him a party for getting his first rune. Max shifted slightly to get rid of the pins and needles in his leg but he forgot about his drink and nearly sent it crashing to the floor. He quickly balanced the cup but, in the process, missed the end of Alec and the girl’s conversation and the two were gone.

Despite all that had happened the last time he decided to investigate something, Max thought that this was a good case. After dropping his empty cup off in the kitchen and leaving his crumb filled plate on the floor for Church to clean, Max set off to find his dad.

As Max suspected, Robert was in Alec’s old office. A few flickers of apprehension went through the small boy’s body as he remembered being thrown against the desk, but he raised his head and clenched his hands into fists. Robert didn’t look up as Max entered the room. Instead he continued to stare at an open file, twirling a pen between his fingers.

“Dad?” Max said and the file vanished as Robert raised his head.

“Max! Keeping out of trouble, I hope?”

Max nodded and shuffled into the room.

“Dad, I was just in the library when-”

“Max,” Robert interrupted, “is this important? It’s just that after what happened to your brother I’ve got to keep on top of things, otherwise the Clave might decide to replace him.”

Max looked down at his feet and, after thinking about his father’s question, he decided to stick to his guns.

“It’s about Alec, dad. I was in the library when he and a girl came in.”

Surprise was clear on Robert’s face.

“What were they doing?”

Max cleared his throat, not wanting to sound immature or like he didn’t understand.

“Well, Alec was telling the girl to leave him alone but the girl kept talking. And they said stuff about relationships, and the girl wanted Alec to give her another chance.”

Robert nodded, his expression flat, so Max decided to continue.

“It’s just, isn’t Alec with Magnus? I-”

“Max,” Robert warned, “it’s not right to invade other people’s personal lives. Your brother might have left the Warlock and not told anyone. Just leave things alone and they’ll work themselves out.”

Max recognised a dismissal when he heard one and turned around on the spot. However, in the reflection of a painting next to the door, Max saw his father smile widely. Max didn’t stop, forgetting to close the door behind him, and he headed straight to main entrance.

Max made a quick stop at his room at replace his slippers with his combat boots, as well as his dressing gown for his jacket. Just as he was creeping down the hallway, Max heard someone cough behind him. He was tempted to run but nearly everyone in the Institute had longer legs than him. Max turned around and, surprisingly, Raj was standing next to his door.

“Going somewhere, little man?”

Max shrugged and fit his hands into his pockets, wrapping his fingers around his stele.

“No.”

Raj laughed.

“If you say so. But, I do know that your parents wouldn’t want you running off by yourself. So how about you and I stick together for a bit?”

Max scowled. He could always go back to his room and wait till Raj got bored. But he was impatient to get answers so, he decided to do the one thing he knew would get him what he wanted. Max pushed out his bottom lip and made his eyes big.

“I need to see Jace right now!”

 

 

 ** S** **ix **

The Jade Wolf was empty apart from four people. Jace was standing with his arms crossed in front of Luke, Raphael and Magnus.

“So, why did you ask me here?” Jace asked. Magnus had dark circles beneath his eyes and was staring at something on the far wall. When Luke saw that neither of the other two were going to answer, he placed his hands on the table.

“After Valentines son attacked Max, and given the Seelie Queen’s…radical ideas, we’re strongly considering siding with the Clave against Valentine.”

Jace nodded. He wasn’t made for this kind of conversation. And, while the world was no longer necessarily black and white to him, his attitude and relationship with Valentine made him biased at the best of times.

“That’s good. What is it exactly that’s holding you back?”

At this, Raphael didn’t hesitate to answer.

“We know that Alec Lightwood is trying but we still feel as though the Clave, and Shadowhunter’s in general, are keeping things from us.”

Jace swore that Magnus flinched at Alec’s name.

“You can’t expect everyone in the world to be honest with you. And as for Alec, he tells you everything that the Clave tells him. It’s not our fault if the Clave withholds information for us as well.”

“I know that the Clave is difficult,” Luke nodded, “even to its own people, but there are still other concerns.”

“Such as?” Jace prompted.

“You’ve been having meetings with the Seelie’s as well as us. Why weren’t we told of this?” Raphael’s eyes pierced into Jace’s, but they apparently didn’t find what they were looking for.

“What are you talking about?” Jace asked. “The Seelie’s have completely cut themselves off from us. No Shadowhunter’s are allowed into the Seelie realm.”

This had all three Downworlder’s exchanging looks, some of panic, others disbelief.

“One of Raphael’s scouts saw a Shadowhunter in the Seelie realm, during one of our meetings.” Luke spoke carefully. It was obvious that he wanted to avoid an argument.

Then, the answer came to Jace, and he wondered how he could have ever missed it.

“Was it him?” Jace pulled his phone from his pocket and got a ‘WANTED’ photo of Sebastian up on the screen.

“I’ll have to ask my scout if they recognise him.” Raphael dismissed himself and, in a blur, he had gone, the only trace of him left being the ringing of the bell above the door.

The remaining men didn’t have chance to string two words together when Raphael was back, this time accompanied by a woman with short hair, shaven at the sides. Jace offered the new Vampire his phone and, with one glance at the screen, she nodded.

“That’s him.”

“That is Valentine’s son, Johnathan.” Jace explained. “He’s been disguised as Sebastian Verlac for the past few weeks but, a few days ago, Clary identified him by forcing him to touch raw electrum. Because of his demon blood, he can’t stand touching the stuff without it injuring him somehow. Clary tried to subdue him but he was too powerful and managed to escape. If he’s spotted, do not trust him. He’s already killed countless Downworlder’s and Shadowhunter’s alike. Before he left, he almost killed Max, my little brother. At the moment, we’ve got orders to kill on sight so…feel free to attack him if you’ve got the numbers.”

Jace felt his cheeks warm and he pressed his lips together.

“Anyway, I’ll have a copy of this sent to each of you.”

Raphael’s hands were clasped tightly on the table.

“If the Seelie Queen has been meeting with this…Sebastian, she cannot be trusted. While I don’t entirely trust the Clave either, I trust their dislike for someone who kills and attacks their own. I move my vote to side with the Clave.”

Luke followed suit and then all eyes were on Magnus.

“You lied about the soul sword. We know that with all three of the mortal instruments, Valentine or Sebastian or whoever is supposed to be able to raise an Angel and have one wish granted. But, the cup and the sword are obsolete without the mirror. Do you know where it is?”

“The mirror has been missing for centuries, but-”

“Do not lie to us.” Raphael interrupted. We know that new Shadowhunter guards have been protecting it.”

Jace rolled his eyes.

“If you’d let me finish? The mirror has been missing for centuries and we thought that we had managed to recover it. However, when Clary tried to deactivate it, it was destroyed.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Raphael asked but both Luke and Jace shook their heads.

“You can’t destroy a mortal instrument. You can get rid of its powers, like Clary did with the sword, but that’s all.”

“So, you don’t know where the mirror is?” Magnus stated, his eyes flickering closed.

“Not until a few days ago. Clary figured it out because of these visions the Angel has been giving her. The mirror isn’t a mirror at all. It’s Lake Lyn.”

 

 

** Seven **

“Why do you need to see Jace again? You forgot to mention that when you started bawling your eyes out.” Raphael smiled down at Max, who simply huffed.

“I did not bawl! And it’s none of your business. Just…lead the way.”

Max followed Raj, around every corner and down every street. The young Shadowhunter would have been lying if he said that the seraph blade on Raj’s hip didn’t make him feel better. As did the knife he was holding up his sleeve.

Eventually, the pair arrived at the Jade Wolf restaurant and Max pushed past Raj and burst through the door.

“…Lake Lyn.” Jace finished. He looked round in surprise as the bell above the door jingled merrily. “Max?” He said, and then as Raj appeared a scowl replaced his worried expression. “Raj? What are you two doing here?”

“Don’t be mad at him,” Max said, “I made him bring me.”

“Is that true?” Jace asked and Raj shrugged.

“Normally I’d hate admitting to been bossed around by a little kid, but I knew that he was going to come no matter what anyone told him. So, I figured it was better to keep an eye on him, and keep him safe, especially after what happened with Sebastian.”

Jace sighed and, after apologising under his breath to Luke, Magnus and Raphael, he walked over to Max.

“This better be really important, Max.”

Max sucked in a huge breath before speaking. He recounted everything that he had heard between Alec and the girl, and then the conversation between him and Robert. Max was about to ask Jace who Alec was dating, but, after spotting Magnus, he figured it would make more sense to ask Magnus himself.

“Excuse me,” Max said, interrupting the three Downworlder’s hushed conversation and leaving Jace crouched by the door, “Magnus Bane, are you and my brother, Alec, dating?”

Magnus’ cheeks turned pink and Raphael hid his laugh with a cough.

“Erm, sort of.” Magnus smiled at Max, but the young Shadowhunter wasn’t satisfied.

“Well, were you together before Alec lost all his memories?”

Luke and Raphael exchanged a look that clearly said they hadn’t heard anything about it, and a soft smile broke out across Magnus’ face.

“We were.”

Max sighed in relief that he had finally found an answer to his investigation.

“I knew it. You should hear this as well, then, because my dad didn’t care that much. But there’s a girl at the institute who’s lying to Alec and telling him that they were dating and that Alec has just forgotten it all because of his amnesia or whatever. Just in case you want to go kick her ass or something. I’m definitely free to help if you need it.”

Magnus’ eyes flashed gold and he stood up quickly, his chair scraping against the floor.

“We’ll continue this meeting at a later date. Max, you come with me.”

Despite his tired looking appearance, Magnus conjured up a portal just outside the Jade Wolf and, ignoring protests from Jace, he took Max’s arm and stepped through.

 

 

** Eight **

Magnus and Max, followed closely by Jace and Raj, stepped out of the portal and into the training room of the Institute.

Alec was dressed in his usual training gear, old sweatpants and a worn t-shirt, and he was firing arrow after arrow at a target dummy. As soon as they exited the portal, he let his bow hang by his side and the arrow slipped from his hand.

“What’s going on?” He asked, his voice gravelly and his eyes tired.

“I’ll explain it to you in a minute. I promise. Just, come with us.” Jace smiled at Alec and Magnus watched as Alec’s cheeks, flushed from training, reddened even further. Alec put his bow away and dutifully followed his parabati through the institute until they reached a meeting room that wasn’t in use.

“Raj, you take Max to find the girl. Magnus, you wait here with Alec. I’ll be back soon.” Jace shut the door behind him and then Alec and Magnus were left alone.

“Do you know why we’re here?” Alec asked. Magnus struggled to look at Alec, so he nodded and turned away.

“I believe it’s something to do with a blonde woman Max saw you speaking to.”

Magnus could smell Alec’s sweat from across the room, and it reminded him of all the times Alec had come back to his loft, after a long day of fighting battles that couldn’t be won in an afternoon. And Magnus would heal any injuries Alec had suffered and the two would sit and do nothing but revel in each other’s presence.

“You mean Stephanie?”

Magnus shrugged and, despite how stupid it seemed, he wished he had put more effort into his makeup. Today, he only had a single line of black above his eyes. No glitter. No colour. Very boring.

But before Magnus could think too much about it, the meeting room door swung open. Max came first, followed by the blonde woman, Stephanie, and Jace.

“Right, everyone sit.” Jace glared at the blonde woman, who meekly sat down beside Max. Magnus chose the seat furthest away from Alec, who sat beside Jace.

“I…I really think you must have the wrong person.” Stephanie whispered. She was trembling from head to toe and, however cruel, Magnus had to admit that he enjoyed seeing her uncomfortable. Even if he didn’t know the woman, she had tried to take advantage of his Alexander and he wouldn’t stand for it.

“We don’t, Stephanie.” Jace said, leaning back in his chair. “Max here says that he overheard you talking to my brother. Something about, him giving you another chance? And his parent’s being happy that he had found a girl?”

Stephanie kept her eyes on the table and Alec sat back in confusion.

“Wait, what’s going on, exactly? Because I know I lost my memories and everything but even so, I still feel confused.”

Max pulled himself closer to the table.

“She’s been lying to you, Alec. About you two being together. You weren’t! You were-”

Magnus cut off Max. “I think the important thing here is that Stephanie tried to deceive Alec, and we’d all like to know why.” He knew how difficult it was for Alec to come to terms with his feelings when they were first getting to know each other. He didn’t want to put Alec through all that again, especially not in front of an audience.

It was then that Stephanie began to cry. Tears poured down her face and she was looking around, checking each side of the room.

“I’m sorry, okay! But it wasn’t my fault. You have to help me, it was her. She threatened my family and…and…” But Stephanie couldn’t get the words out properly.

Max pushed his chair away from Stephanie and rolled his eyes.

“Just calm down. We can help you if you’re been threatened.” Jace spoke calmly but his eyes were clearly a little panicked.

Stephanie gripped the edge of the table as she began counting her breaths and, several moments later, she cleared her throat.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. But she came to me one evening and told me that if I didn’t do as she said, she would go and kill my family. She…she even took my dog.”

Alec ran a hand through his hair, messing it up in a way that made a lump form in Magnus’ throat.

“We’re going to need a name.” Alec’s monotonous voice cut through Stephanie’s sniffling.

“It was the Seelie Queen.” She whispered, half covering her mouth as she did so.

“Are you sure?” Jace asked and Stephanie glared at him.

“I think I know the freaking Seelie Queen when I see her.”

Jace nodded and, after jotting something down on a slip of paper, he pushed it over to Max.

“Max, can you take Stephanie to Robert? He’ll be able to help protect her family.”

Max nodded and marched out of the room, closely followed by Stephanie. Jace stood up then as well, and made a vague excuse about having to help Clary. He also gave a pointed look towards Magnus before shutting the door behind him.

 

 

** Nine **

“What was that look for?” Alec asked. Magnus didn’t want to say, so instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crystal vial Dot had given him.

“This will give you your memories back, if you want them?”

Alec reached over the table and took the vial, holding it up to the light to inspect it further.

“Why wouldn’t I want them back?”

Magnus shrugged. “Some of them are painful.”

“That’s what life is, isn’t it? A mix of good memories and bad memories. And you play them all over in your head, imagining them as being better or worse than they really were."

Magnus didn’t say anything as Alec removed the cork from the vial and tipped his head back, swallowing the contents. Magnus caught a glimpse of Alec’s collarbone as he did so, and with it, a glimpse of a new scar. Magnus wanted to reach out and heal it then, but he thought better of it, unsure of how Alec would react.

Once Alec had drained the vial, he placed in back on the table and squeezed his eyes shut. Dot hadn’t told Magnus exactly how the potion would work, so he watched with a heavy heart and imagined all the things Alec would remember. All the fights. All the pain and love and anger and frustration. Magnus found his eyes full to the brim with tears and he blinked them away quickly, before Alec could see them.

“Magnus?” Alec said and the Warlock looked up in surprise.

“Alexander?”

Alec had deep lines in his forehead and his hair was a mess from the amount of times he had run his fingers through it.

“What’s going on? I…I was tracking Sebastian and then everything gets fuzzy.”

Magnus allowed the glamour to slip from his eyes and he felt his shoulders slump.

“You lost your memories from the last few months when you were out… _tracking_ Sebastian.” Magnus allowed the anger he had first felt wash over him. The anger that had been present ever since Jace told him that Alec hadn’t cared about his safety. “You stupid, stupid Nephilim. What is wrong with you!” Magnus could feel the all familiar burn of magic in the palms of his hands and he grasped the armrests of the chair tightly.

“Magnus, what are you talking about?”

Magnus shook his head furiously.

“What am _I_ talking about? What were you thinking? Going after Sebastian like that – you could have…anything could have happened.” Magnus heard his voice break and he angrily wiped away the tears that pooled in the corners of his eyes.

“I didn’t think you’d care that much.” Alec muttered, but even the Shadowhunter didn’t believe the lie.

Magnus gaped in disbelief.

“ _You didn’t think I’d care_. Is that how little _you_ think of me, Alec? You think that because I can live for centuries, the trivial lives of mortals mean nothing to me?”

Alec swallowed the words he desperately wanted to say, and instead settled for silence.

“Well, Alexander, if you think that I’ve accepted the idea of your death, then you’re very much mistaken. I…I did say that I wanted space because I needed to think about what was best for my people. And I’m sure that you’ll be happy to hear I’ve decided to side with the Clave against Valentine and Sebastian.”

Alec’s brows shot up into his hairline.

“How long exactly have I been…gone?”

This made Magnus laugh bitterly.

“Less than a week. But we had a meeting earlier today, Raphael, Luke and I, along with Jace, and we made some discoveries about the dear old Seelie Queen.”

Alec was tempted to ask Magnus what they had uncovered, but he knew there would be time for that later. Instead, he let the question he wanted to ask flow over his tongue.

“So…do you still want space then?” Alec forced his eyes to stay on the table, knowing that if he even glanced at Magnus and saw something painful, he would never be able to burn it out of his mind. No matter how many reckless missions he went on.

“I do have some conditions…but if you’re willing to put in the effort, I think we can figure something out.”

Alec’s mouth spread into a shy smile and he felt Magnus sit on the table beside him.

“I’m all about effort.” Alec looked up at Magnus and placed his hand on the Warlock’s knee. Magnus covered Alec’s hand with his own, interlocking their fingers, and smiled softly.

“Rule one; don’t take your life for granted.”

Alec bent his head to Magnus’ lap so that his lips were against the other man’s hand.

“I only went out there because I was angry at myself. I kept thinking about those things you said and I knew that it was all my fault and that I had no right to be angry at you for putting your people first, but I hated that I had made you feel that way. It _killed_ me, Magnus. It killed me.”

Magnus raised his other hand to Alec’s hair and began playing with the loose, curly strands.

“Rule two; don’t lie to me about important things. I know you might want to protect me, but you can’t. It’s impossible. We should be facing these problems together, not by ourselves. It’s a war and there will be difficult decisions to be made but we can’t let them get between us. Promise me, Alexander.”

It was then that Alec stood up, so suddenly that Magnus thought with a tiny percentage of his brain that the Shadowhunter was going to storm out of the room. But instead, Alec’s hands moved up Magnus’ body until they were cupping the sides of the Warlock’s face.

“I promise you, Magnus Bane. A million times.” And then Alec’s lips were pushing forcefully at Magnus’, and Magnus was kissing him back and it was like no time had passed at all. They were so close, pulling at their clothes and taking in the same, sweet spot of air so many times that they eventually had to pull away just so they could breathe. But it was alright, because they were together.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to subscribe to my account if you want to be alerted every time I post new stuff :)))


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